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Transition teacher education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a transition teacher. Transition teachers usually study special education, education, or elementary education. 62% of transition teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 275 real transition teacher resumes to see exactly what transition teacher education sections show.

The most common colleges for transition teachers are the University of Memphis and the University of Memphis.

There are also many online transition teacher courses to help get the education required to be a transition teacher.

What education do you need to become a transition teacher?

What degree do you need to be a transition teacher?

The most common degree for transition teachers is bachelor's degree, with 62% of transition teachers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 25% and master's degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 62%
  • Master's, 25%
  • Associate, 9%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a transition teacher?

You should major in special education to become a transition teacher. 20% of transition teachers major in special education. Other common majors for a transition teacher include education and elementary education.

Most common colleges for transition teachers

Transition teachers often get their degrees at University of Memphis, Portland State University, and Western Kentucky University. Here are the most common colleges for transition teachers in the US based on their resumes.
Transition teacher common collegePercentages
University of Memphis6.67%
Portland State University6.67%
Western Kentucky University6.67%
George Mason University6.67%
Northern Illinois University6.67%

Best majors for transition teachers

Best colleges for transition teachers

The best colleges for transition teachers are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A transition teacher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for transition teachers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become transition teachers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

20 best online courses for transition teachers

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1. Program Management Benefit Transition Sustainment in ClickUp

coursera

By the end of this guided project, you will be fluent in creating Program Benefits artefacts for the delivery/ closing Phases for diverse programs. You will utilise a logical diagramming plan in an agile environment to develop the solution. This will enable you to identify and classify the required components for benefits transition and sustainment. Furthermore, it will help develop a structural model for learning about the field of Program Management. If you are interested in building up the...

2. Modelling and measuring the Energy Transition

coursera

This MOOC provides attendants with fundamental knowledge about the main challenges in modelling the energy transition at both global and regional levels, as well as the industrial ecology instruments to measure the associated impacts. The course begins by covering national energy accounting and the definition of a reference energy system, followed by an introduction to modelling for energy planning through linear programming. Participants will be engaged in hands-on practice using Excel...

3. Transition from Technical Individual Contributor to Manager

udemy
4.5
(411)

Fast track your transition into IT, Engineering, or Product team management by learning these foundational practices...

4. Managing Professional Transition (ITSM ) - 4 Practice Exams

udemy
4.3
(413)

ITIL 4 Managing Professional Transition MPT [2022] - 40 Q & A each & 160 Q & A total, with feedback and knowledge areas...

5. Music Education for Teachers

coursera

In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...

6. Create Animation Transitions in Unity (Intro to Animation 2)

coursera

In this one-hour, project-based course, you will be introduced to Unity's Animator tool for connecting multiple animations and transitioning between them. This project covers creating animations, transitions and parameters that can be used to trigger behavior. The guided project will introduce you to the following Unity concepts: - Animator - Animator Parameters - Animation Transitions - Animation Events This is Part 2 of a two-part series introducing Unity's Animation and Animator. Part 1...

7. After Effects CC: Design Professional Video Transitions

udemy
4.2
(457)

Learn how to Design Professional Video Transitions in After Effects CC and How to use them in Premiere Pro Video Editing...

8. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)

udemy
4.4
(876)

Informational content for educators and parents to learn about teaching and understanding exceptional children...

9. Using Animations and Transitions in Libre Impress

coursera

Libre Impress offers many advanced options that will really make your presentations shine and stand out above the rest. In this course, you will learn how to use animations and transitions in Libre Impress. First, you will learn how to prepare your presentation for adding animations, and then we will dive into all of the effects the program provides. You will learn how to apply and edit with Entrance Animations onto the screen. Then, you will apply Emphasis Animations to objects already on the...

10. Performance Assessment in the Virtual Classroom

coursera

Welcome to Performance Assessment in the Virtual Classroom! This course will help you effectively assess student performance virtually, including compliance issues, feedback models, online grade book functions, and data analysis. We will discuss why effective measures of performance and assessment are a crucial component of any virtual program, and the importance of teachers and administrators understanding both the myths and challenges of assessing performance virtually, administering...

11. Mindfulness for Life Coaching Success: Teacher Certificate

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4.8
(672)

Transform Lives with Mindfulness & Meditation: Accredited Life Coach Teacher Certificate (2023)...

12. Outcome Based Education (OBE) & Academic Quality Assurance

udemy
4.4
(1,390)

Master Course for Teachers' Development: Grow Your Teaching-Learning Expertise to World-Class Level...

13. Use Animations and Transitions in PowerPoint 365

coursera

PowerPoint 365 offers many advanced options that will really make your presentations shine and stand out above the rest. In this project, you will learn how to use animations and transitions in Microsoft PowerPoint. First, you will learn how to prepare your presentation for adding animations, and then we will dive into all of the effects PowerPoint provides. You will learn how to apply and edit with Entrance Animations onto the screen. Then, you will apply Emphasis Animations to objects already...

14. Configuring Network Connectivity Center as a Transit Hub

coursera

This is a self-paced lab that takes place in the Google Cloud console. Configuring Network Connectivity Center as a Transit hub to interconnect two non-Google networks such as remote branch offices using Google’s backbone network...

15. Implementing Positive Behaviour Management in the Classroom

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4.5
(416)

Practical Strategies to Address Behaviour Issues in any Classroom...

16. Transitioning Into UX Writing

udemy
4.6
(450)

How To Start Your Career In UX Writing...

17. The Teacher and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

coursera

Social and emotional learning, or SEL, programs have flourished in schools during the last decade. These programs vary widely but most share a concern for five individual, student competencies: self awareness; self-management; social awareness; relationship skills; and finally responsible decision making. It is important for teachers and parents to know about and understand these programs. While lots of SEL programs emphasize K-12 student social and emotional learning, only a very few programs...

18. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy CBT Life Coaching Certification

udemy
4.4
(2,329)

CBT: Emotional intelligence transform your life - stop self-sabotage while earning your life coaching credentials...

19. TESOL Teacher Training: Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

udemy
4.4
(445)

Putting Theory Into Practice in the ESL/EFL Classroom...

20. Career Coaching Certification in Career Development Coaching

udemy
4
(1,988)

Career Coaching Practitioner Course Graduates Ready-To-Work Professionals in Holistic Career Development Career Coaching...

Top 10 most affordable universities for transition teachers

The most affordable schools for transition teachers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for transition teachers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for transition teachers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

6. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for transition teachers

The hardest universities for transition teachers to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for transition teachers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for transition teachers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for transition teachers

The easiest schools for transition teachers to get into are Barry University, gwynedd mercy university, and felician university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a transition teacher without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for transition teachers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

6. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

7. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

10. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

Average transition teacher salary by education level

According to our data, transition teachers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $54,905 annually. Transition teachers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $54,639.
Transition teacher education levelTransition teacher salary
Master's Degree$54,905
Bachelor's Degree$48,731
Doctorate Degree$54,639

Transition teacher education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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